The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-30
HOW TO RUN A TUNNEL.
Interesting Facts About the Big Cut
Through Jersey City.
From the Nc30 York Maj aud Erpress.

eiH GJllA vas t%tNO HiDi Sttl
CITY Heights. In one Of these towers, busily
ut work at his desk, a reporter YESTERDAY
found Tunnel Superintendent O. S. Conk
ling, who has held his present place eighteen
wears, and has been with the compan,
twenty-six years.
so you want to know something about
the tunnel and how we run it, eh y he said
after the reporter had explained the object
of his visit "Ncll, if you doa't mind the
racket of trains rushing by here every five
minutes or less, sit down and I'll try tC
Oblige you. How many trains 90 through
the tunnel in day2 Just $40. Each train
takes two and half minutes to 90 through
and only one train going each way is al
lowed i'll q tunnel at q given time The
exact length OF the tunnel is Seven-eights OF
q mile, and it is a mile between the signal
towers at one end and those at the other.
The tunnel was finished in 1861 Night and
day, the year round, four men patrol
the tunnel Two are on duty
in the daytime and two at
night. The day patrol start work
one man from each end at O'clock in the
morning. Every hour after this they IN
spect the tunnel in the same way. Each
carries a bright lantern, apd registers when
he arrives at the opposite end OF the tunnel.
usual Besides this, once every week the
tunnel is examined thoroughly by gang of
nine men, called tout men" They ro
through on platform car and are supplied
with torches, steel bars and hammers.
They examine every inch of the roof. and
very rarely find even q scale. Most of the
tunnel is of arcLed brick and a French
preparation harder than rock itself. This
inspection is made every Friday night after
Il o'clock, First one track is gone over and
then the other.
A REMARKABLE RECORD.
Accidents? No, not a single accider
has happened III there since the Signal boys
were put up IN 1861. In that year thee
were no signals. The way we used to IN
is was this: After train had gone in md
Ind been out of sight five minutes we would
let another one go in. The result was that
day passenger train was delayed and
freight train ran into it. The onlperson
hurt was boy, and he not very ndly, |
believe. After that the present sBtem of
signals was established. Now Plltrll you
how this works. Say a train i coming
from New York. 1t must first cone TO a
stop about LOCO feet from tn signal
towers; then the signal shows that
the tunnel is clear, the tran starts
up and enters the tuuiel We
uSe UI6 ulJSTlOCkLlS SloDtll OI "i0CLCo anu
signals. There are three signal posts at each
end of the tunnel, with movable arms or
semiphores. and as soon as train is in
there the arms go up to a pSltlon at right
angles with the posts and tay there until
we receive an electric signd from the west
end of the tunnel that the train has passed
out The electric signal rings bell in this
signal tower This signifies that the west
bound track is clear. BUT if it was found
that the train went though the tunnel in
less than two minutes we would not allow
the next train to proceed until we had ascer
tained by telegraph that all of the preceding
avoid any danger, through the breaking
of coupling and a car being left
in the tunnel no signal is sent
from one end of tie tunnel to the other that
all is clear unhss the train that had just
come through displays q red light on the
rear platform ofthe last car. If no signal
comes back aftoI the usual two and one half
minutes have elapsed, the train next to go
III on that same track is held fifteen minutes
and is then allowed to proceed with "a eau
ton" This means that the engineer is to
be notified that no signal was received from
the last train. He is to run slowly and if,
after his train has gone in, the electric sig
nal does not ing two bells (which would
signify that the last train had gone through
all right, no more trains are allowed i'll the
tunnel until it has been personally inspected
But this very rarely happens"
Don't you get lorely here sometimesN
Not a bit of it, We have no time to get
lonesome or to do any fo0linS here, and a
man has got to keep his head clear and level
al the time. have for my assistants men
who have been here twelve, fourteen and
hItean years, and at the west end the two
signal men have been there since the tunnel
was huilt. work twelve hours day"
Was any one ever killed in the tunnel"'
Not through any accident, as / have
SAID, but two or three bodies have been
found in there by the patrol. They were
those OF men who it was supposed had fallen
from trains. The tunnel used to he lighted
by aiamp 800 feet from the entrance, but
the new signal lights are 600 feet from the
entrance, and stationary lights TO notify the
engineer Of distances
~ tho tunnel straight"
/, You wouldn't think q person could see
clear through it, looking at it us it is now,
pack and full Of smoke, would you! But
us fact all the same. When there is a
strong west wind blowing the smoke is all
drlVen out, and [ can often see through it
ana the green hills beyond. My window
mere III this signal tower at such a time takes
N tins view perfectly. Speaking about
signals, the company is about to adopt an
etctrlc clock TO take the place of the signal
pelis. The rails and switches are to be con-
hected by electric wires which will make a
circuit. When the engine strikes the con-
nection, which will be at the beginning Of
tne signal post next to the tunnel. and the
engine and tender have passed over it, the
eiectrlc current will cause the semiphore
VI arm to give the danger signal. This will
remain at danger until the train leaves the
circuit at the other end Of the tunnel. If
g1hyChlng gets out of order it will go to
U.Vahger also AS double precaution for
ILlS system there will be wire connection
over the bill which will cause different col
oled discs to be displayed as danger or
safety signals."
WOMAN IN WHITE.
Al DO your men ever see unusual sights in
the tunnclr'
81, very rarely, as far as / know. But once
, r% gang who were inspecting it at mid
n'hI' saw sight that mode them think for
. ,, Diii'e mot the tunnel was haunted. Just
w., nIIlO minute, and I'll call one Of the men
ny nv was IN the party and saw the sight"
lhe man the superintendent brought in
o "as one OF his assistants i'll the signal tower
aerQSS the track.
les, he said, 81 was one of those who
o o', Ihe ghost. II was very dark night
S,iu Ilie tInnel was full of damp, smoky air.
Jur lanterns and torches would light only
a oII distance ahead Of US and we were I'M
w 10 see anything of the tunnel lights:
WY, "u were going toward the west end, and
,,' ,iG I4tfIy Well along, when one Of the men
y ,lNeilly dropped his torch and said he had
9t,Vil u BDOSt uleaQ of ms on our track We